2/16/2012 - MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. -- For the second year in a row, Staff Sgt. Terel Hayes, team chief at the Application Software Assurance Center of Excellence, or ASACoE, was selected as the 2011 Air Force General John P. Jumper and Information Dominance-Computer Systems Programming Outstanding NCO.

The annual award is given to the noncommisioned officer working in information dominance and cyberspace operations whose sustained superior performance and contributions benefitted the Air Force and Department of Defense. Hayes helped mitigate 65,000 security flaws, and was handpicked to brief ASACoE's mission to the Air Force Materiel Command commander, director for Air Force Acquisitions and Congresswoman Martha Roby.

He also developed a course titled, "Building Software Assurance into the IT Life Cycle," said Master Sgt. William Tooke, Hayes' supervisor.

"Staff Sgt. Hayes' performance is unmatched," he said. "He consistently goes above and beyond in both his duties as an IT professional and as a United States Air Force NCO. He is an individual I can always rely on to provide leadership and get results. He's a volunteer in the local community and has participated in numerous marathons and triathlons."

Hayes said a job is not a chore when you love what you do.

"I would have to say that most of all I feel blessed. I get to work with a great group of people on a cutting-edge mission that I truly believe in."

He said he is inspired by those who worked with him through the years.

"When your leadership believes in and relies on you to ensure the actual mission gets done, it really motivates you to do your best every single day," he said. "Being surrounded by some of the brightest people in your career field seems to help immensely. I'm almost certain that all of the technicians I work with are smarter than me. So I try to take away as much technical knowledge as I possibly can from them."

Tooke said he expects big things from Hayes in the future.

"Winning this award once is a lifetime achievement. Winning it twice is unprecedented and may never happen again," he said. "It speaks volumes of who Staff Sgt. Hayes is, a consistent, top performer who is continually improving himself and the people around him. It's also a great accomplishment for the organization and has reaffirmed our unit mission is having an extraordinary impact on the Air Force."